Of Lost Loves and Soulmates
by OlyveTheOctoPus
Summary: What if your soulmate wasn't the one that got away, but the one you think you hate? Three-Shot Kick AU
1. Chapter 1

**Story: Of Lost Loves and Soulmates  
Rating: Mid T for some language  
Full Summary: Kim desperately wants to find her lost love.  
**

******Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It and am merely using the characters for my and your entertainment.**

* * *

Kim looked at the business card she clutched in her hand before looking back up at the apartment door on the second floor. Room 223. She looked back down at the card, confirming that this was indeed the apartment and that she had arrived. Swallowing thickly, Kim took her sunglasses off the top of her head and nervously slipped them on her face, looking around frantically to see if anyone was around to see her. She couldn't let them know that she, Kim Crawford, was actually going into this apartment.

She had gotten the card from an old man at the grocery store who for some reason told her he knew she was searching for someone. It had singlehandedly been one of the creepiest experiences of her life, but nonetheless, she had taken the card and shoved it deep into her purse before anyone could see her picking it up. After all, this was very embarrassing. What would her friends say if they knew she was actually about to come _here_ for help?

Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, she raced across the small street and to the stairs leading up to the second floor. She stopped in front of 223 and tried to find one last ditch effort of why this wasn't a good idea. But she couldn't find any. Knocking tentatively, she waited for a signal that confirmed that there was someone inside. She heard nothing. She knocked again, louder and more forcefully. This time, she heard a grumble and the sound of a glass bottle hitting the floor.

"Door's unlocked." A scratchy voice inside gruffly half yelled.

Well, there was no going back now. She pushed the door open to a small, but quaint apartment dimly lit only by the light streaming in from the cracks in the shades. There was minimal, but tasteful furniture in the living room. A small coffee table was set in the middle of the carpeted room between two plush couches. A couple wilted plants aligned a few corners. The only downsides to the room were the numerous beer bottles and cans littering the floor, the empty, molding pizza boxes, the rumpled clothes and laundry strewn about, and the scruffy man wearing a wife beater and boxers laying nonchalantly on one of the couches with a towel covering his eyes and ice pack on his head. He was chewing on a toothpick, which alerted her to the fact that he was indeed awake, but if he realized she was in the room, he didn't acknowledge it. All in all, the place was kind of disgusting. Her lip curled as she put the sunglasses back on top of her head. She was so glad that it didn't smell like garbage or B.O. in here. Or _worse_.

Kim cleared her throat, clutching her purse closer to chest, "Excuse me? My name is Kim. Are you the one people call Shady Jack?"

"Yeah." He grumbled, "That's me."

"Well… Can you find someone for me?"

Slowly, he reached up and pulled the towel and ice pack off of his face and head. His eyes were still closed, "Could you pipe down a little? I've got a hell of a hangover."

"And that's my fault how…?" she responded, annoyed that he hadn't invited her to sit or acknowledged her officially since she had entered the room. It irritated her. "Don't you think you're being a bit unprofessional? I'm a potential customer."

Jack finally opened his eyes then and sat up slowly, staring at her in annoyance. His hair was all over the place and bunched up on his head. He ran his fingers through it to get rid of the tangles before shoving the hair to the back, uncovering his face. Kim was pleasantly surprised. She had expected him to be some old perverted looking geezer, but he was much younger than she expected. And he wasn't altogether bad looking, though he clearly hadn't shaven yet. There was two day old scruff on his chin and upper lip.

"Well then sit down. There's a free couch right over there." He snapped at her impatiently. "D'you want a beer or something? I've only got cheap crap though."

Her lip curled as she shoved some dirty laundry off of the other couch and sat down as close to the edge as she possibly could. She kicked away some of the bottles near her feet with her heels. "No thanks. I don't drink."

He stared at her with an odd, but slightly derisive look, "Yeah… figured."

Her eyes narrowed. What was with this guy? "What is that supposed to mean?"

He ignored her and instead reached into a briefcase sitting on the floor next to him and pulled out a couple sheets of paper and a notepad. He removed a pen from behind his ear and flicked to a new page on the notepad.

"Name?"

She frowned, confused, "Kimberly Crawford."

Jack looked up and rose an eyebrow at her, "Not _your_ name. The person you want to find."

"Oh." Her cheeks turned slightly pink, "His name is Brody Carlson."

"You got anything else?"

She frowned, put off by how blunt and gruff he was being, "He's around twenty-eight. I don't remember his birthday. Last I remember, I think he was studying business. Um…That's all I have… We broke up about five years ago."

Kim had asked around to see if anyone knew Brody or where he could be, but from the negatives, she figured he didn't live in Seaford anymore. She hadn't gotten anywhere in her search and that's why she had gotten desperate. That was when at lunch with her friends, they had suddenly brought up rumours of some guy who could find anyone you wanted. Like a bounty hunter, only not. She hadn't really said anything during the conversation, but the gears had started turning in her head. When the old man at the grocery had confronted her, that was the clincher. She had decided to come here.

"That's all you have?" Jack sighed and ran his hands through his shaggy brown hair. "That's not much to go on."

"Your business card says you can find anyone, even with just a name." Kim pointed out, somewhat aggressively.

He rolled his eyes. "Obviously I can find them. It's just harder when all I've got to go on is a name." He scratched out something on the notepad. "What about his looks? Describe what he looks like."

"Well… He's got hazel eyes and shaggy brown hair. Though I don't know how he styles it anymore. He wasn't altogether that much taller than me back then, but he might be much taller now. I'm not sure."

Jack frowned. "You know what? Just stop. Your information sucks."

Her mouth dropped open in shock, "That was rude."

"You're rude. For wasting my time. You literally just described any old Joe on the street."

"Well sorry! I haven't seen Brody in five years! Isn't it _your_ job to find him anyway? Stop railing me and just move on."

He rolled his eyes again and took the two sheets of paper he pulled out earlier from the briefcase and the pen and slid them in front of her.

"What are these?"

"General agreement form and contract. Just some stuff you need to sign before I start my work."

She read through some of the contract terms, "Price is liable to change? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Some people are harder to find than others. Especially if they're celebrities or high profile individuals. Depending on how hard it is to find one of those people, the price can go up. Regardless, there's an advance payment of twelve hundred dollars."

"Twelve hundred? Why is the price so high?"

"I'm getting people's information to find them. Why do you think?"

She put the paper down, slightly miffed. "So you use shady methods to find people?"

He shrugged, "I'm _Shady_ Jack. What do you expect?"

She put the pen she was holding down and straightened, glaring at him, "So you just gather a bunch of information on people and stalk them to find them?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Yes it's a problem! Doesn't that mean that if any random person wants to find someone, all they have to do is pay for the service, and you just do it? That is so sketchy!"

"I've been called that too." Jack sniffed, grabbing an upright can off the floor and shaking it to see if there was anything left in it. He leaned back against the couch cushions and folded his arms, regarding her with a raised brow. "So what if it's sketchy?"

Kim stood up, having had enough. This guy had a bad attitude, was an absolute asshole, and dealt with illegal things to boot.

"You know what? I don't even know why I bothered to come here. You're such a disgusting creep."

"Not ten minutes ago, you were about to use my services anyway." He pointed out arrogantly.

She blushed hotly, "At least I _know_ the guy! He was my ex-boyfriend and soulmate. I just want to find him."

"Sure… Just like that nerdy kid in high school would believe you were his 'ex- girlfriend' and try to find you too."

Her jaw dropped, offended, "You think I'm making this up?"

He shrugged, "A lot of people lie to find other people. And I don't care. My job is to find the people. I don't deliberate on who to help or not."

Kim's eyes narrowed in absolute disgust. "Don't you have any moral compass or something?"

"The only thing I care about is money to pay the bills."

That was the last straw. Giving him a dirty glare, she snatched up her purse without a word and left his apartment, slamming the door on her way out. She stormed down the stairs and began to descend the hilled street on which his apartment was located. Kim couldn't believe she had actually been about to trust this creep. But now what would she do? She was certain Brody was the one that got away, but she didn't know how to find him in the least. Nor did she have any idea of where to start.

And she _really_ wanted to find Brody.

Releasing an annoyed sigh, she ran her hands through her hair in frustration and stopped marching down the hill. She turned back around and looked at the direction of the apartment. She didn't want to associate with Jack, but he was honestly her best bet in finding her lost love.

Making up her mind, she briskly walked back up the hill and back to his apartment. She ripped the door open without prelude and walked in abruptly. Jack was sitting in the same place, staring at a picture in a frame forlornly. If Kim wasn't so disgusted by him, she might have felt pity and slight intrigue at the pained look on his face. When the door banged against the adjacent wall and he noticed Kim, he jumped in surprise and set the picture aside quickly, slamming it into a couch cushion. She stormed in and sat on the couch opposite to him, ignoring whatever it was she had just interrupted.

"Okay, you win." She picked at her nails. "But! That doesn't mean I like you."

"I wouldn't think so. We barely know each other." He replied smoothly, yawning.

"And I have one condition."

Jack stared at her like she had grown two heads. "Condition? You don't get to add conditions."

"Yes I do, Shady Jack, or I can guarantee you I'll spend the rest of my life trying to get you locked up because what you are doing is wrong."

"You'd be arrested as an accomplice too, you know?"

"That's fine."

His eyes widened slightly, clearly surprised at her response.

"As long as it takes one more asshole off the street, that's fine." She stated.

"You would sacrifice yourself for something as trivial as this? That's stupid." But he didn't sound so disgusted. "Well. How can I say no when your resolve is so strong? What's your condition?"

"You come with me when I go to find Brody."

Jack was at a loss for words and frowned, looking incredulous and confused, "I knew you were crazy. Why?"

"Because if you accidentally get the wrong Brody, we can change course immediately. Also, I don't have a car." She stated, only half truthfully. Truth be told, she was very scared to find Brody by herself. But she couldn't very well tell her girlfriends that she was going after her old college lover. They would think she lost her mind. Besides, at least Jack knew her plan, so she wouldn't have to waste time with explanations.

"Alright." If he was suspicious of her reason, he didn't show it. Kim was glad. "Sign the paperwork, and we can start this contract."

She read through the contract, noting what his key terms were. It basically stated he was not liable for any rejection on the part of the person who had been found. He was also not to be held responsible for not succeeding in finding the right person. Should he be unsuccessful, the price in full would be cut by fifty percent. The price in full would vary depending on the difficulty of finding the person, and he determined the full price by the amount of resources used. The nonrefundable advance payment was by check of one thousand two hundred dollars and was not included in the full price of his services. It was a pretty reasonable contract to be honest, and it made sense to Kim. Sighing and knowing she had stooped to the absolute lowest level with this, she signed the contract.

She took her checkbook out of her purse, filled it, and signed it, sliding it across the table with the contract. Jack picked them up, attached them to a paper clip and stuck them in a manila folder.

"I'll dig up what I can from what you gave me." He said, setting the folder on the table, "Expect a call if I find him."

She nodded and left without another word, trying to convince herself that she was making a good decision. This was to find Brody. Regardless of the method, she had to find him. Hopefully, this wouldn't come back and bite her in the butt.

* * *

**Questions? Concerns? Let me know :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Story: Of Lost Loves and Soulmates  
Rating: Mid T for some language  
Full Summary: Kim desperately wants to find her lost love.  
**

******Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It and am merely using the characters for my and your entertainment.**

* * *

Kim dragged herself into her apartment after her early morning jog and chugged deeply and satisfyingly from her water bottle. As she dried her sweaty hair with a towel, she checked her cell phone for any missed calls from Jack. It had only been a day since she had employed his services, but she was impatient. She knew it might take him longer since she didn't have any substantial information on Brody, but she was hoping he would be able to find him quickly. Sitting on her plush bed, she picked up the old picture sitting on her dresser. It was of her and Brody at a college formal. She touched his face on the picture, frowning as she thought about the event. That had been the last event they had attended as a couple.

Brody had broken up with her about a month later telling her she wasn't marriage material. He had said he wanted a real wife, not someone who only wanted to live in the moment without thinking about the future.

"You're too unladylike to ever meet my parents. They would never approve of you." He had said to her.

So she had changed. She had worked hard to transform herself into a woman worthy enough to call herself Brody's wife. She stopped her rough behaviour and became more graceful and pliant. And now that she had officially accomplished her goal of becoming a charming young woman, she was going to get him back. She would show him how much she had changed and get him back.

When she got out of the shower, her cellphone was ringing. She had gotten a call from a restricted number.

"Hello?"

_"Found him."_ It was Jack.

She held her breath. "Already? Are you sure?"

_"I'm not certain, but he's a Seaford native, right?"_

"Yes, he grew up in Seaford."

_"Then I'm pretty positive this is him."_

"That was fast."

_"I'm good at what I do. We're leaving. Come over in ten minutes."_

"What? It's early!" she whined.

_"So what?"_ he answered crossly, _"We've got a long drive so hurry your ass up."_

He hung up before she could respond and Kim glared at the phone in annoyance, even though she knew he couldn't see her. Did he always have to be so rude?

"Whatever."

She giggled. She was really about to go find Brody. After five long years of wanting to see him again, she was finally going to get the chance to get back her future husband. With renewed excitement, she dressed up and did her hair and makeup before departing for Jack's apartment.

When she got there, he was in front of his apartment complex, reading over some papers. She sidled over to him, her heels clicking loudly on the sidewalk. Jack frowned when he heard the sound and looked up in her direction. His frown turned into a scornful look when he saw Kim.

"Don't you think you're wearing something kind of ridiculous?"

She had put on one of her best plain grey business suits. It was pressed to perfection and neatly trimmed, showing off her great figure, while remaining conservative and tasteful. The perfect kind of outfit to prove to Brody that she had changed from her preferred sweats and tank in the past. Her long blonde hair was pulled taut into a neat bun, not a strand out of place. Her makeup was light, but well applied, accentuating her greatest feature: her cherry brown eyes. She thought she looked absolutely amazing, but Jack's comment had made her self-conscious and, she glanced back down at her outfit. What the hell was he talking about? She looked great.

She looked back up and glared at him. "Don't _you_? You look like a hobo with those ripped jeans. Besides, this is the best outfit to impress Brody." Though she said that, she _was_ pleased that Jack had shaven and brushed his hair though. It made him look much more like a proper guy and less like a good-for-nothing, wasting away in his apartment. She had already known he had a young face, but in the dim lighting of his apartment, she hadn't been able to see that he was actually attractive. Kim was surprised to find that he was actually _very_ good-looking. As long as he didn't open his mouth, that is. "So? Where's the info? Is Brody married? What does he do?"

"Chill." Jack rolled his eyes and handed her the folder he had been shuffling through earlier. Kim flipped through some of the pages. "He's apparently single, and he doesn't seem to have any women in his life romantically right now. He's a high associate at a pretty big company in northern Cali. And he seems next in line to be the CEO when the current one retires."

"Wow. He looks absolutely gorgeous in this picture! Even better than how he looked in college." Kim squealed to herself, "I can't believe he actually became so important." She tugged on the sleeve of Jack's black t-shirt. "Let's go. I can't wait to see him!"

"Look, even though you go there, doesn't mean you'll succeed. He could still want nothing to do with you."

"Failure is not an option." She responded.

He shook his head disdainfully and took some keys out of his pocket, walking toward an old, dirty, beat up, red, two-seat pickup truck. Kim froze, looking at the car with distaste. It looked like it could fall apart with one hard hit.

"_That's_ your car?"

He turned around and sneered at her, his eyes flashing in clear disgust, "Not fancy enough for you, Princess?"

She frowned and ignored him, going over to the passenger seat and climbing in. As soon as the door closed, she gagged, throwing her hand over her nose and mouth.

"Your car smells horrible!" She complained, her voice slightly muffled and sounding nasally, "It smells like wet dog and old cheese fries." She shifted uncomfortably, trying to avoid sitting on the dirty patches on the seat. She couldn't get her suit dirty. "And there's dried mud on the seats! Have you ever even cleaned this car?"

He snorted and turned on the ignition. Kim stared incredulously as it took him about three tries to get the engine running. He finally backed out of his spot.

"Why don't you just get a new car?" Kim kicked away a dirty napkin sitting on the floor near her pumps.

"No way." He patted the dashboard fondly, "I've had some great memories in this car. First time I ever drove. First car accident. First date. First time I had—"

"EW! Stop! I do _not_ want to know about where or what you did in this car! It's already bad enough."

He shrugged, smirking. "Suit yourself."

Jack's cellphone rang then and he lifted it up, looking at the caller ID. He frowned momentarily before ignoring the call and shoving it back into the cup holder. Kim stared at him, noting the pained look that momentarily entered his eyes. It was brief and disappeared before she could really see it, but she knew it had been there.

_What was that all about?_

But she didn't want to ask him. They weren't even acquaintances, and quite frankly, she was getting tired of his snappy and sarcastic comments. No doubt if she asked him, he would belittle her in some way just to tell her to mind her own business.

"You can play some music if you want. The radio's old and only plays AM, but it works."

She took him up on his offer and fiddled with the knob, trying to find something in the frequency. There really wasn't anything on but talk shows, but she finally stopped on a station when she heard a song she knew. It was a bit scratchy and static was mainly heard, but it was good enough. She started to sing lightly along.

_"Am I strong enough to see it through…? Go crazy is what I will do. If I can't have you, I don't want nobody baby. If I can't have you, uh-huh, oh…"_

"You know this song?" he asked, kind of surprised.

"Yeah. It was one of my favorites growing up."

"…I would've taken you for more of a mainstream pop kind of girl."

"Why pop?" She rolled her eyes, "I'm not a stereotypical blonde you know."

"Could have fooled me…" Jack muttered under his breath.

Kim frowned, her mood souring. "Do you always have to be so patronizing and condescending? You're a jerk."

"Well can you blame me? I know maybe three things about you: One, you bitch and moan about everything that isn't up to your standards. Two, you want to get back with your ex because _you_ believe he's your soulmate without regard to his feelings. And three, you lit up like a damn firework when you saw his current lifestyle and looks. Talk about shallow."

"So what if I was being a bit shallow? That's not even enough to determine who a person is Jack. You know, I know a few things about you too, and let me tell you, none of them are very good. You obviously are a shady creep. Like for one, why didn't you answer your phone earlier? That's pretty sketchy right there."

"This and that are two different things."

"You're just a hypocrite. I'm tired of talking to you. You always have to start fights."

"Can't help it. You're a priss."

"Asshole."

She turned around away from him to face the window and leaned against the door. She clearly couldn't hold a conversation with him so she might as well rest since it was early. At least the door was somewhat clean. She stared at the landscape zooming past, concentrating on her breathing and using meditation techniques to calm her nerves into a sleep-like state.

When she was somewhat awake, starting to drift into and out of her sleep, she heard Jack's phone ring again. This time, he answered it. Kim figured he probably thought she was asleep.

"Look. I really don't want to talk to you about this anymore. I'll come back when I'm good and ready. Please leave me alone." He hung up the phone, and she tried not to jump when it noisily clattered in the cup holder.

_What's his deal? _She wondered. Jack was a lot more mysterious than she thought. Not that she was interested anyway. She pushed her intrigue out of her mind. With that settled, her mind really did shut down and she drifted off into a deep slumber.

~.~.~

When Kim woke up, they were still on the road. The sky was still bright, though judging from the position of the sun, it must have been late afternoon. She slumped deeper into the seat of the truck and stretched her arms and legs languidly, yawning loudly, making a lot of noise. Realizing just how loose she was being, she gasped softly and quickly repositioned herself, straightening her body and snapping her mouth shut and her arms back down. If Jack noticed, he didn't say anything.

But it _was_ hot in his car. Even though it appeared his air conditioning was up full blast, she wasn't feeling any relief. Figured. His car's air conditioning was probably ancient. Reluctantly, she removed her suit jacket and set it on the head rest.

"How long have I been out?" she asked him.

"About six hours."

"Six?!"

He didn't answer. His mouth was set in a grim line, and his jaw was tight.

"Do you want to switch or something? You look tired." She offered, though she knew he wouldn't accept it.

"I'm fine."

Kim sighed, "Okay so look. I know we might have gotten off a bit on the wrong foot earlier today, but if we're going to have to spend the rest of this drive together, I think we should be civil. Or at least _try_ to get along. Obviously you have a very negative image of me. And I don't find you a walk in the park either, so why don't we start over?"

Jack's teeth only clenched tighter, and he gripped the steering wheel more tightly, "Do you always talk so damn much?"

She glared at him, "This is what I'm talking about. Can't you _try_ to be somewhat nice? I'm not even asking you to like me or anything."

"Fine." He answered offhandedly. "Whatever."

Kim frowned. "Fine."

She wanted to berate him for being so unapproachable, but her stomach suddenly erupted in a loud groan and rumble. She clutched her stomach and tried to keep her face from turning red.

Jack chuckled, "There's a diner up ahead if you want to get something to eat."

She shrugged nonchalantly, though deep inside, she was absolutely delighted he had suggested it. She wasn't sure how she could ask him to pull over so she could get some food.

"Sure why not." She said, forcing down a blush when her stomach gurgled again in anticipation.

A few minutes later, he pulled up into the dusty parking lot of the diner and cut off the engine. They hopped out and entered the place. It was a little bit run down, but there were few patrons and at least the booths were mostly unoccupied. Jack led them to one not too close to other people and plopped down. Kim pulled out a small sanitizing wipe from her purse and cleaned her seat before sitting down herself. He gave her an incredulous look.

"What? I can't get my pants dirty."

The waitress—Ruby, according to her nametag—who came up to them was a teenager who looked tired of her job and clearly didn't want to be there. She all but threw the menus at them and sped through the specials of the day. Kim skimmed the options and was disappointed to find that like most diners, this one specialized on typical fattening foods.

"Do you have any salads?" Kim asked tentatively.

Both Ruby and Jack stared at her like she was one battery short of a working flashlight. She felt her cheeks heat. She didn't normally eat fattening foods and had stopped eating them when Brody had told her he thought it was gross that she enjoyed snacks and fatty foods like that. But clearly this place didn't have a healthy option. One time wouldn't hurt right? Besides. Her stomach was on fire and looking at the mouthwatering options on the menu in front of her, she couldn't resist temptation any longer.

"Actually, can I have a cheeseburger with bacon, large chili cheese fries, and a chocolate milkshake, please?"

Ruby jotted it down. After Jack ordered, and Ruby left to take their order to the chefs, he turned to Kim with an amused look on his face.

"That's quite a lot of food."

"I went for an early morning jog and didn't really get a chance to eat since you called me. And quite frankly, I didn't feel like eating the usual salad today."

He nodded in reply and the conversation dwindled. She turned her gaze to outside the window and the scenery, thinking about what she would say to Brody once she found him. She couldn't just barge into his office. Not to mention, she had to somehow convince him she had changed from the beginning of the conversation. She couldn't very well do that if she behaved aggressively.

Her attention was brought back when their food finally came. Kim took a fry to her mouth, near melting from the ooey gooey goodness. The food was amazing, and Kim found herself truly enjoying her meal for the first time in ages. How had she been able to resist such savory fatty foods for so long?

Time passed and Kim started polishing off her milkshake, looking distractedly at the dessert menu Ruby had brought to them. She was stuck on the page with that fried apple pie, trying to decide if it was worth buying or not after all the calories she had taken in. Jack had finished way before her and was messing with his cellphone, waiting for her to be done. He looked like he had something he wanted to say, but he wouldn't speak at all. She shrugged and continued with her drink. Kim finally found the cherry and popped it in her mouth, just as Jack spoke.

"Look, earlier, I wasn't trying to insult you or anything. I just don't understand you."

She frowned, confused on what he was bringing up. "What don't you understand?"

"You haven't seen this guy in what? Five years? Yet for some reason you're convinced he's the one for you. How?"

"It's a feeling I get."

He frowned, looking put off. "Sounds like some bullshit to me. How do you know you're not just trying to go after him because he's successful?"

"Are you really starting _this_ again? You already ruined my morning. Are you going to ruin my evening too?" She was really starting to get pissed. What was his problem?

"I'm asking you seriously." Hearing his tone, she let go of her straw and stared at him. "People don't realize just what they get themselves into when they look for and find someone. Just because your ideal is right in front of you, doesn't mean that's what you're looking for. You probably don't even realize the repercussions of your actions."

"What do you—"

"Long term, Kim. I'm talking about long-term. What are you planning on doing? Marrying him? A guy who apparently threw you out because you weren't the one for him?"

"I _am _the one for him!"

"So then why did he dump you?"

"How do you know _he_ dumped _me_? It could have been the other way around!"

"Why would you spend so much time and effort going after someone you supposedly dumped? _You_ were dumped and now you want the chance to show him what he's missing. I'm right, aren't I?"

Kim had had enough. She couldn't take his bullshit anymore. She was tired of getting ragged on, tired of being questioned, tired of being bullied. Just tired of him and his attitude.

She slammed her hand on the table, making such a loud racket that conversations in the diner ceased and the people stared at the duo. Her eyes were watering, and her heart was hammering wildly in her chest, but she didn't care.

"So maybe I got dumped by him and I want him back. Can you blame me?! He was my first love Jack! I spent four _years_ with him! _Years_! I revolved my entire life around him and changed my future _for_ him. I spent years believing we would get married! And then he told me I _wasn't_ the one for him! And it hurts! I want to show him I can be the one for him. I haven't been able to meet anyone else because I'm stuck on him! Just because you don't get that point doesn't mean you can treat me like shit for that! I'm human too you jackass!"

Kim stood up abruptly and stormed out of the diner. She walked straight to his truck and yanked open the passenger seat door and climbed in. Tucking her legs into her chest, she rocked back and forth, sniffling and trying to keep herself from outright crying. This was a mistake. She shouldn't have bothered going on this trip with him. She should have just gone on her own. But the thing that made her most upset was the fact that he was somewhat right. Part of her really _did_ want Brody back. But the other part of her, the one she tried to keep locked away, only wanted to show him what he had been missing in his life.

Jack walked out of the diner shortly afterward holding a small white box. He got into the driver's seat.

"Kim…"

"Can you just take me back to Seaford? I don't want to go on this trip with you anymore." She sniffled, turning her face away.

He sighed and set the box down on the armrest.

"'I live in a house over there on the Island, and in that house there is a man waiting for me. When he drove up at the door I drove out of the dock because he says I'm his ideal.'"

She stared at him, thinking he had gone absolutely bonkers. "What?"

"It's a quote from Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Kim, if you change yourself to be the ideal for Brody, how is he ever going to accept the real you and see you for who you are? How long will you be able to keep up the façade before it crumbles, and he rejects you again?"

"Don't you think I know the risks myself Jack? I've conditioned myself for five years not to slip. Even if you think it's stupid, he is the only person I have ever loved. Haven't you ever loved someone irrationally deeply and passionately?"

Jack frowned, "I have, but that's been dead and gone for ages."

Kim looked surprised, "You were in love?" It was hard to picture a guy like Shady Jack being in love with anyone. What did he do? Fall in love with someone he was stalking?

"Not important. Anyway, consider this a peace offering." He shoved the box into her hands and handed her some napkins, "That was what I was trying to say, but the words came out wrong. I guess I was thinking too logically…"

She opened the box. It was the fried apple pie she had been staring at on the menu. She looked back up at him, slightly touched that he had noticed something as trivial as that. "As opposed to what?"

"As opposed to thinking from the perspective of a hormonal lady."

Laughing lightly, she threw a crumpled napkin at him after she wiped her eyes.

"Hey." Jack put his hand on her shoulder, suddenly serious, "I'm sorry, okay?"

Kim sniffled and felt her face grow hot. She hadn't been expecting an apology that serious. Hell, she hadn't even been expecting an apology at all. She stared at him, kind of entranced by his eyes.

She nodded slowly. "I accept your apology."

They hit the road again, after Jack finally got the truck to start. Kim tucked into the pie, letting out a satisfied whimper at the savory flavors of melted apple and crisp, fresh crust.

She looked out at the corner of her eye at her companion. She was kind of intrigued. Who was this Shady Jack, and where exactly did he come from? Kim had grown up in Seaford her whole life, and she had never heard of Jack before. The town wasn't necessarily that small, but most people had heard of each other at least once in their lifetime. She hadn't heard of Shady Jack until a few months ago. Either he lived a hermit lifestyle, or he recently came to Seaford.

"So how old are you anyway? You don't look all that old, but I get this sense that you're an old man." Kim asked.

He gave her a wry glance, "Why suddenly so interested in my age?"

"Just making random conversation. It distracts me from the smell of your scrap heap."

He rolled his eyes, good-naturedly, "I'm thirty-one."

"Wow. I wasn't expecting that. Thought you would be like fifty."

Jack rose a brow, looking at her out of the corner of his eye, "I'm pretty sure I don't look that old."

"Like I said. It's all in the way you carry yourself."

"Oh yeah? And how do I carry myself?"

"Like a defeated old man."

He glanced at her again, "Why do you say that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know… It's like life is weighing you down, and you can't get up or something. You're standing up straight, but it seems like you're hunched over."

He was silent for quite a while that Kim thought he decided to end the conversation. She sighed and went back to her pie. So much for her efforts to learn more about Jack. It wasn't until she had finished the pie that he finally spoke up again.

"That's surprisingly perceptive for a preppy type."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not preppy."

"Then what are you?"

Kim looked out the window. "…I'm flawed. And I fear failure. Maybe that's why I'm trying so hard…"

She tapered off and Jack stared at her, slightly in shock.

Kim blushed hotly when she noticed his look. "What? Was that too weird or something?"

"…Someone I knew used to say something like that too." He responded, quietly. It was so quiet, Kim wouldn't have caught it if not for the lull in between songs on the radio.

"Someone you knew…?"

Jack didn't respond after her question, and Kim got the sense that the conversation really was over. They rode in comfortable silence for a while, the only sound in the truck coming from the scratchy radio. It was barely picking up the station anymore. Annoyed, Kim shut it off and looked out the window at the passing landscape. They weren't in the countryside, but clearly, this area was relatively less populated than any area they had passed before. It wasn't desert-like and empty, but rather, a beautiful rolling plain of sea green grass. The sky was just beginning to darken, and Kim wondered where they would stop for the night. Clearly Brody would no longer be at work at this time, and she felt an interruption at his home would be way less welcomed than one at his workplace.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, and she was about to ask Jack if there were any towns where they could turn in for the night, he suddenly veered off course to the left through a small hilled grassy plain off the roadway they were taking.

Kim's eyes widened, "Whoa! What are you doing?! I have a knife with me you know! I'm not afraid to use it!"

Why on earth did she trust him?! She should have known something was going to happen! The police would probably find her body in a ditch the next day! She tensed up and stuck her hand in her purse, ready to attack if he tried anything funny.

Jack stopped just short of the top of the hill and cut off the car, giving her an amused smirk.

"Relax, Kim. I'm not going to do anything to you. I just figured this would be a good place to rest before finishing off the rest of the trip tomorrow."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop. Back it up. And restart. What did you just say?"

"We're camping out here tonight." He looked amused.

"Camping out?! Here?!" She shrieked, "Why can't we find some nice hotel in a town! We're gonna get chomped on by coyotes!"

"There are no coyotes in these parts."

"Snakes! Bugs! Creepy things! My outfit is going to get dirty!"

"We'll be fine. Besides, I know this spot. C'mon. I wanna show you something."

He grabbed a blanket from below the seat, and left the truck, walking up the hill the rest of the way before ultimately disappearing on the other side. Kim would rather stay in the smelly car than a grassy plain, but honestly, she didn't feel comfortable sleeping in the truck by herself in a place she didn't know at all. She had no choice but to follow him. Annoyed, she threw her hands up in frustration before climbing out the truck and following him up the small hill.

"This is fucking crazy…" she muttered under her breath.

At least until she got to the other side of the hill. She froze, breathless at the image that lay before her. There was a gorgeous crystal blue lake sparkling from the sun's rays bouncing off the ripples flowing in the light breeze. The far edge of the lake was a dark void bleeding into the setting sun in a mesh of colours on the horizon, painting the sky in coral, orchid and azure. The plain was covered in early blooming summer dandelions. It was singlehandedly the most magnificent place she had ever been in her life.

She turned her amazed gaze to Jack, who was standing off to the side, a bit farther up than her and her breath caught. His hair was blowing gently in the light breeze, and he looked so pensive and wistful she felt her heart stutter. She shook her head rapidly, and ignored the feeling, walking to where he had set down the blanket.

"Jack. This is amazing. How did you know there was a place like this here?"

He smiled, albeit sadly, "I used to live around here."

"This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen."

It wasn't just the image of the lake that made it surreal. There was something about the aura that clenched her heart. The lake was luminous, yet why did it have such a… sad air to it?

"Locals call it the Lake of Lost Love." He said, answering her mental question.

"That's an odd name." But somehow, it fit.

She followed him in sitting down on the blanket, watching the lake. The night summer air was warm and toasty without being overbearing. And the cool breeze coming from the lake was a perfect counter to the heat. It made Kim want to kick off her heels and release her long hair from the tight bun she had set it in and let it fly in the wind. She stopped herself short of the action, reminding herself that that kind of behaviour wouldn't be accepted by Brody.

"I can see why you would want to sleep under the stars here. It's gorgeous."

Jack didn't say anything and when she turned to look at him, he was staring out at the horizon, frowning. She didn't know how to describe his look. If anything, he just looked melancholic.

"Jack—"

"Years ago, I fell in love with someone."

Kim's eyes widened. She definitely wasn't expecting a confession like that. She stared at him, unsure of how to respond.

He glanced at her, smiling slightly, "You wanted to know, right?"

She nodded slowly, but didn't say anything.

He laid down on the blanket, his hands resting beneath his head. "Anna was her name. I met her when we were kids. She pushed me into this lake when I got mud on her skirt."

A fond look overtook his features, and Kim found herself smiling at the image. "She was this absolute loudmouthed spitfire. Always picking fights with bullies, always defending weaker people, always getting into brawls. I don't think I ever saw her without her signature Band-Aid somewhere. She liked to say that when she grew up, she would be a superhero for everyone, because everyone needed a hero in their lives. But above all, she was afraid of failing. So she tried hard for others, so that she couldn't fail them."

He glanced at Kim when her eyebrows rose in surprise. So Anna had been the someone he mentioned earlier? He looked back at the lake and continued, "She lost her dad at a young age, while I lost my mom at a young age. I guess that's how we bonded."

Jack laughed quietly, though it lacked any humour behind it, "We were engaged."

"You were going to get married…?" Kim didn't ever remember seeing a ring on his finger. Maybe she had missed something. Her gaze turned to his left hand, but she didn't see any ring. Jack caught her stare at his fingers and sighed.

He closed his eyes momentarily, "She passed away almost eight years ago. Don't worry. It wasn't anything horrible. She had been in the hospital for about a year by that point."

Kim held her breath and didn't say a word, thinking that if she commented, this spell would be broken, and he wouldn't speak anymore.

"In her last few days, she kept saying things like if we were truly meant to be, she would live. She kept trying to make me see the good in her situation. Kept trying to make me accept it. But I couldn't… she was my soulmate."

Kim nodded, understanding the all-consuming feeling quite well.

"When she was gone, I packed up everything and left. Came to Seaford. I didn't go to the funeral. I didn't want to know what she had put in her will for me. Her mother won't accept it and keeps calling me to finally say goodbye. To put my past to bed."

"Why haven't you?"

"…I wasn't ready… There was something missing. I couldn't find it. I needed to find it before I said goodbye, so that Anna could finally rest in peace."

Kim didn't have any words she could even remotely think of saying to him. And quite frankly, it didn't seem like he needed or wanted comforting, so she simply laid down next to him, throwing her hands behind her head and staring at the sunset. And she spoke.

"I met Brody when we started college at Seaford U. He was popular and very wanted and apparently, I was really pretty, so he asked me out. From then on, we were inseparable. I thought things were perfect. And they kind of were. At least until we hit our senior year."

"You grew apart?"

"I… I was really rowdy and loud. And I was too rough around the edges, and I wasn't too serious about my future. I wasn't as focused on my image as other girls. I wasn't Brody's ideal. So he broke up with me, telling me he wanted someone different. Someone the opposite of me."

Jack frowned, "Just because you weren't his ideal woman?"

"I know it sounds ridiculous. Why should I pine over a guy who didn't want me in the first place?"

"It does sound ridiculous."

Kim nodded, unbothered by his comment, "I think deep down, I knew Brody didn't really like me for me, but I ignored it. He only saw and liked my outer shell. And stupidly, I thought that was what I should become. I hadn't ever had anyone want me before and here was Brody. Sweet, kind Brody who made me happy. He paid attention to me and treated me like his queen. Believe it or not, he was my first real boyfriend."

"But I turned him off and so things ended on a sour note." Kim continued, "I've regretted it for five years, and I just couldn't leave things the way they had ended. So I dug deep into that image he wanted and pulled out all the stops to become just that. I wanted him to see that I had changed. That I was different. That I could be the perfect wife for him, and I could become someone he could be proud to show off to his parents. And now that I've succeeded, we can continue our relationship."

Jack was quiet for some time before releasing a soft sigh, "So that's why you're going after him? Don't you have any doubts?"

Kim nodded, "There are times when I wonder if this is what I actually want. There are some nagging doubts that won't leave my mind, you know?"

"What doubts?"

"It's hard to explain."

"Try me."

Kim sighed wistfully. "Have you ever just… I don't know… _waited_ for someone? Someone to just _get_ you. Someone to keep you on your toes and excite you? Someone you can see burning cookies in the kitchen and blaming the oven? Someone you can see sliding around your home in their socks jamming to Donna Summer? Someone you can spend hours with just watching each other's faces and never getting bored because you can't get enough of them…?"

_I'm not sure if that someone is Brody_… she thought.

But she couldn't bring herself to say those words out loud. Because saying them out loud would be admitting to herself for real that maybe she had already accepted the fact that her relationship with Brody had died. And she wasn't sure if she was ready to let him go. Failure was not an option. She had to get him back.

Jack was silent, and Kim was a bit absorbed in her own thoughts that she hadn't realized he didn't respond. She turned and looked at him. She was surprised to find he was staring at her with an odd expression on his face. She held his intense gaze, wondering what was going through his mind.

"Jack…?"

His eyes softened, and he answered quietly, "I have."

"…Did you ever find her?" she didn't know why she was whispering back. Jack's eyes were mesmerizing her. She had originally thought they were brown, but in the dying light of day, they appeared a subdued hazel. In that dimming light, she suddenly realized how beautiful his eyes really were.

"I think I did." He answered simply. Kim stared at him a moment longer, her pulse racing and heart beating madly against her chest. Then he blinked and in the next second, turned his head away, sitting up briskly and upsetting a few dandelions, "But she's taken."

Kim held her breath. "How do you know? She might not be."

He smiled ruefully, "She will be."

She tried not to think about what exactly they were talking about now. They seemed to have crossed some sort of imaginary line, because suddenly, it didn't feel like they were speaking hypothetically anymore.

Turning away and rolling onto her side, she cleared her throat. "Well, we've got an early day tomorrow. I should probably, you know, go to sleep."

"Sure…" he responded, "I think I'm gonna stay up and wait for the stars."

She curled up in a ball, her heart beating rapidly. She clutched her hand to her chest. What was happening here? She wasn't clueless. She was quite aware of what her response to Jack meant, but why it suddenly sprung up now, she wasn't sure. Maybe it was because she wasn't seeing him so much as a brute anymore, but more as someone who'd been dealt a rough hand in love. Sure, Jack was kind of a jerk, but she was finding that she enjoyed his company. He addressed her like she was an idiot for following her heart, but clearly, it meant he cared. That, to her, was touching.

She looked over her shoulder discreetly and glanced at him. It wasn't like it could go anywhere though. She shook her head and laid back down. Besides, she had to get back Brody. She _needed_ to get him back. She couldn't fail. Closing her eyes, she forced thoughts of Jack out of her mind and tried to focus on her mission tomorrow.

Tomorrow, she would definitely get Brody back.

* * *

**Questions? Concerns? Let me know :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Story: Of Lost Loves and Soulmates  
Rating: Mid T for some language  
Full Summary: Kim desperately wants to find her lost love.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It and am merely using the characters for my and your entertainment.**

* * *

Kim woke up feeling groggy and disoriented. She felt stiff and her muscles were tight, like how she felt whenever she slept in a bad position. It was like there were twigs under her back, not to mention, how bright the lights were coming in from her window. And why did it smell like spicy men's cologne? Not that she didn't like the smell…

_Wait_…

Her eyes popped open, and she found herself squashed in Jack's black t-shirt clad chest. For some reason, she was tucked into his arms and their legs were completely entangled. He was soundly sleeping, unaware of the compromising position they had ended up in. Confused, she wondered how she had even ended up in this position in the first place when she was positive she had gone to sleep on the _other_ side of the blanket. But seriously… why did he smell so good?

Kim's face burned red when she almost inhaled deeply, and she tried to push against his chest to release her, but his hold only tightened. This was improper! Just as she was about to shove him away harder, she heard a shuffling and scratching noise above their heads. She gulped and swallowed thickly.

"Please don't tell me it's some robber…" she muttered quietly.

She had seen movie scenes like this before. A guy and a girl are completely unaware of their surroundings and some robber jumps them, strips them and mugs them. And she didn't have her purse or knife with her! Of all the times to be irresponsible and leave her purse in his truck.

Slowly, with her eyes barely cracked open, she looked up. And immediately stopped moving. The shuffling wasn't from a bandit or anything like that.

It was from a skunk.

And it was digging a hole. Right. Above. Their. Heads. Taking a deep breath and trying to keep from whimpering in fright, she jabbed Jack harshly in the stomach with her hand. He grunted slightly, but otherwise didn't budge.

"Jack… Pst. Jack. Wake up." She poked his stomach again, and this time, he frowned and grabbed her wrist roughly, stopping her motion.

"Would you please stop…?" he grumbled.

"Jack! Wake up!" she near shouted in his ear.

His eyes snapped open, looking pissed. When he registered what position they were in, he choked as his cheeks turned a slight pink. He immediately let her go and made to move backward, but Kim stilled him by yanking him back forward by his t-shirt.

His eyes flashed, "What are you doing?"

"Don't. Move." She hissed.

He tried to put some more space between them. "Look, that's what you're saying, but if we don't move, _I'm_ gonna end up with a serious problem."

Kim burned red at his implication and hid her face. Why did he have to put it like that?!

"There's a skunk above our heads!"

"What?" she felt him shift slightly, before stilling, "Shit…"

"Shit is right! What do we do?"

"Don't move." He reiterated.

"NO shit Sherlock. But we can't stay here forever!" _Especially in this position_…

"True… And it doesn't seem like the skunk is going to go away anytime soon." Kim felt him release a sigh, and tried to ignore the fact that his arms were still partially around her. "Well, we'll just have to try to sneak away."

Kim looked up and saw that the skunk hadn't noticed them and was still digging or whatever it was doing in the patch of grass above their heads. She whimpered again.

"I knew sleeping out here was a bad idea!" she hissed at Jack, her voice somewhat shrill, "A frickin' skunk!"

"Look, we'll be fine as long as we don't scare or threaten it." She felt his chest rumble with laughter and grit her teeth.

"Do you think this is funny?"

He chuckled, "Yeah… It kind of is."

"I'll have your head if the skunk sprays, Jack."

"Okay… Look, I'll sit up, and then I'll help you get up slowly, okay?"

She nodded. Carefully and slowly, while watching the skunk, Jack let go of her and detangled their legs. He pulled himself away from her, and she watched his arm muscles tighten as he oh so painstakingly lifted himself up until he was sitting upright.

"Okay." He whispered. "You're good to go."

He held his hands out in front of Kim and she took them, letting him start to pull her up slowly. "Is the skunk still there?"

"Yeah…" Jack frowned, "Wait, I think his foot is caught in something…"

"What is he caught on?"

Kim began to turn her head to look, but suddenly Jack was shaking his head vigorously.

"Wait Kim! Don't move! He's caught on your—"

She felt something snag and pull on her hair, and then she snapped her head forward with a shriek without really thinking. The skunk's tail was already up by the time she realized it had released its foul odor on them. She screamed in alarm as the hot sulfuric liquid sprayed onto them.

"Cover your eyes!" She heard Jack yell.

She did just that, and they stood up and raced back to his truck and out of the way of the skunk. But it was too late. The damage had already been done. Kim looked at herself in horror. Her hair was frizzed and tangled beyond measure. Her clothes were ruined and there was no way her simple brush could even begin to fix the mess that she had become. And on top of all that, she smelled like skunk!

"Jack! What the hell do we do?!" she wailed, looking at herself in despair as she pulled her clothes farther away from her in an effort to put some distance between her and the wet, smelly clothes.

Jack, the asshole, was laughing his butt off, clutching his stomach as they reached his car. "We'll drive somewhere and figure something out."

She glared at him, but hopped in the truck when he beckoned her to do so. He hopped in shortly after, turning the key in the ignition. Nothing. He tried it again, but it wouldn't start. By this point, Kim's glare had turned murderous, and she was grinding her teeth roughly together.

"Jack…" she growled menacingly. "Why isn't your car starting…?"

He scratched his head, having the nerve to look somewhat sheepish. "I'll go check it out."

He hopped out, pulling a crank from the back with him. He forced open the hood with a rusty groan and peered inside, scrutinizing the mechanics. Kim gripped her head and tried to tell herself that everything would be okay.

"It's okay Kim… Everything's going to be okay. You're going to get out of this funk. You'll get to Brody. This is just a small obstacle in your plans… It won't last long. Just take some deep breaths and try not to think about it."

Jack shut the hood a few minutes later and threw the crank back into the trunk, before leaning over the open window and addressing Kim. "Battery's dead." He gestured to her arms, "You got some muscle on those arms?"

She frowned at him suspiciously, "Why are you asking me a question like that?"

"Well, the good news is that there's a town not two miles from here."

"And the bad news…?" she said slowly, her suspicions already mounting.

"We're gonna have to push her to town."

Kim snarled at him, her nostrils flaring. "Are you fucking with me right now? Can't you call a tow truck or something?"

He held up his phone, "No signal."

"Unbelievable…" She checked her phone. She didn't have any signal either. Frustrated, she gestured to herself, "Look at me! I'm a mess! I was already sprayed with a skunk's ass juice, and now you want me to add _sweat_ to that mixture?!"

He smiled, amused at her irritation, "Well, like you said. You already look messed up. What's one more thing going to do?"

"I'm gonna kill you…" she fumed. "I'm really gonna fucking kill you." She didn't even care that she was slipping into her old habit of cursing. She was past that point and her last strands of self-control were quickly being shredded.

"C'mon. It's really not all that bad."

She didn't bother to respond to his comment and instead hopped out of the truck. She yanked off her blouse and threw it onto the seat, and then pulled off her pants and shoes, leaving herself in only her camisole and spandex shorts. Indecent, yes. But if she had to push a damn car for two miles, there was no way she was going to do it while sweating her ass off in this stifling heat. It wasn't even 6 AM, yet it was hot as hell.

"A strip show? Really, Kim?"

She flipped him off and slammed the door shut to his truck, "Shut up. We've got some way to push so get your ass in gear, and let's push this piece of junk to the damn town."

He smiled slightly and followed her to the back, positioning himself in a similar way, on the opposite side.

It took some time to get the car to budge from the grass, but once it did, they rolled it slowly to the road. It wasn't altogether too heavy or difficult to move and thankfully, the road wasn't hilled, but it was hot and sweaty, and her feet were burning on the gravel. By the time they had been pushing for thirty minutes, Kim had had enough. Her arms were tired, her shoulders felt like they would explode and she was sure her feet were bleeding from the rocks smashed in her skin. By that point, Jack looked just as tired as she. He had removed his pants and t-shirt and was clad only in his boxers and a wife beater.

Kim groaned and stopped pushing, "Jack… I can't do this anymore."

He leaned against his truck and gave her a look, "Then what do you suggest we do? Clearly there's no one out on this road."

"Well then we'll wait until someone shows up and hitchhike!" she picked up one of her feet and looked at the sole. It was red and raw, but at least it wasn't bleeding.

He snorted, and she snapped her gaze to his in irritation, "Who's going to pick _us_ up? I don't know if you've noticed Kim, but we kind of smell like shit."

"Well I don't want to spend the rest of my life pushing this truck! Who knows how badly I've tanned already." She stood in the middle of the road, her thumb pointed to the sky, "I'm at least going to try."

Jack let out a short bark of laughter and leaned against his truck, watching her with his arms crossed, "Good luck."

She stuck her tongue out at him and turned back to the road, hoping a car would come soon before she roasted like a chicken and burned to a crisp.

~.~.~

Ten minutes later and still no cars, she turned back to Jack, glaring at him.

"This is your fault you know?"

He rose a brow, "How so?"

"If you would just buy a new damn car, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"If _you_ hadn't acted like a spazz earlier, we wouldn't have gotten sprayed."

Her cheeks turned red, "Okay, that is _so_ not on me. How was I supposed to know it was on my hair?"

"I tried to warn you…" he said in a sing-song voice. "So where's this supposed car you said you would hitchhike in?"

"It'll come."

"Yeah, and then it'll leave. As soon as they find out we were skunked, they'll be gone."

"No they won't. I'm sure my looks and charming personality will prevent that."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Don't say I didn't warn you, Kim."

She turned away and waited patiently, her thumb high in the air. Three short minutes later, her saving grace came in the form of a Jeep rumbling along the road. She turned around and gave Jack a smug smirk, which he only returned with an amused look. The Jeep slowed down in front of Kim, and she noted that there were two young guys in the front seat. They looked like college boys. This was going to be easy.

"You need some help?" the driver called out, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

She smiled, flipping her hair over her shoulder in a well calculated move that she _knew_ would capture their attention. It worked. They were staring at her in slight awe. "Yeah. My friend and I are having some car trouble." She pointed to Jack and the two guys in the car looked over her shoulder to where he rested nonchalantly against his truck. Jack saluted them with two fingers. "Do you have any space for us?"

"Yeah. We do." The other guy said, grinning madly. "Where are you headed?"

"A town about a mile from here."

The driver nodded, "Cool. Hop in."

She was sure she and Jack must have looked like an absolute sight. Their hair was completely mussed and frizzy. They were clad in skimpy, sloppy underclothes, not to mention they were probably covered in sweat and dirt from the road. Thank goodness for these guys being so open.

She smiled as charmingly as she could, "Thank you so much! I don't know what we would have done. I mean after our whole skunk fiasco, I thought I was done for."

One guy turned to her, his face falling. "Wait, skunk? Ya'll got sprayed?"

She tried not to grimace, "Well, yes. But—"

His companion shook his head rapidly, "Whoa, whoa. Hold on. Sorry. You guys are on your own."

"Hey! Wait!"

They peeled off without another word, and Kim screamed in frustration.

"You spineless dickheads!" She yelled after them, kicking a few small rocks. Sighing in defeat, she turned back to Jack as he started laughing.

"Anyone ever told you you talk too much?"

She glared, but didn't say anything, going back to her original position behind the truck. Jack joined her, and they recommenced their pushing.

"Shut up." She hissed.

He chuckled, "Didn't say anything."

"I can hear you thinking it. So shut up."

He pointed to a road sign, "At least we'll be there in a mile or so. Oh… and I told you so."

She was so tempted to take the crank and hit him upside his head.

~.~.~

Forty-five minutes and two fried feet later, they finally arrived at the entrance of the small town. Kim let out a huge sigh of relief and collapsed against the back of the truck.

"I made it… I lived." She panted, her body slackened and weak from all the heavy work. Jack wasn't looking in much better condition and was struggling to catch his breath. "Where are we taking this car?"

He pointed silently to the gas station on the main road of the town. There was a sign saying that it was a mechanic's shop. They pushed the truck the last few meters to the shop, and when it was finally situated, they both let out long sighs and slumped against the car. Kim laughed, finally glad she was done with this crap.

Now all she had to do was find a shower, some way to clean her clothes, and some strong products to get the smell out of her hair and skin. She resisted the urge to check her compact. She didn't even _want_ to look at herself in any mirror right now. If Jack looked like roadkill right now, who knew how bad Kim looked herself?

"Tripp! You in there?" Jack shouted toward the small office hidden behind a partially disassembled car.

"Jack? Is that you?"

They both turned in the direction of the man who had stood up from his position underneath one of the cars. His long silver hair was tied in a ponytail behind his head, and he was wiping grease off of his navy blue jumpsuit. He was squinting at them in incredulity.

Jack smiled, "Hey Tripp. Been a while."

Tripp glared at him, "Been a _while_? Boy, you've been gone for seven damn years! Your father sends his regards by the way. Went on a hiking trip in Hawaii this time."

Kim turned to look at Jack. She had thought this was just some random town, but this was Jack's hometown? Now it made sense. The day before, he had stated he lived nearby. This had to have been the town he was talking about.

"How's his back?"

"Same as always. But he doesn't care."

Jack walked toward Tripp, but stopped when Tripp's face curled in disgust, "What happened to you? You smell like the back end of a mule, son. Don't come any closer."

Jack laughed, "Got skunked. Thanks to her." He pointed to Kim, and she snapped her head at him, affronted.

"I did not get you skunked! Technically…"

Tripp turned to her and smiled congenially, "My, my. Who's this purtty little thing?"

"Her name's Kim. I'm taking her up north."

Tripp held out his hand to her, "Well nice to meet you Kim. Sorry you've had to deal with his dumb ass."

She took his hand and shook it, deciding she liked this guy. "The pleasure is all mine."

Jack frowned, "What the hell, Tripp. She smells just as bad as I do, yet you don't mind her making contact?"

"She's a pretty woman. And you're just a dead-beat guy."

"You're just a pervert is what you are."

Kim laughed lightly, enjoying the interaction between the two of them.

"What are you doing back, anyway?" Tripp grinned before patting the hood of Jack's truck fondly, "Old Anna still giving you trouble, huh?"

"She just needs a jumpstart." Jack stated, "I think the battery is dead."

Kim was surprised to find the name of his truck was Anna. She guessed it made sense since the truck was pretty important to him.

Tripp shook his head, "It's never just a jumpstart with this scrap heap. I can do a full check and tune-up if you want. It might take a few days though."

Jack shook his head, "Sorry Tripp. As much as I really need that tune-up, I gotta get Kim up today."

"Lemme change the oil at least. Lord knows the last time you changed it was seven years ago…"

"If you want."

He and Kim picked up their stuff from the inside. Kim, feeling more than indecent and somewhat self-conscious, slipped her clothes and shoes back on quickly. Jack did the same. From behind her, she heard Tripp start speaking.

"Mornin' Maggie."

Another woman's voice was heard. "Good morning, Tripp. How's my car?"

"Still working on it. Gimme a couple days and I'll get it good as new for you."

"I'm counting on it."

Kim glanced over her shoulder and saw an older woman dressed in a conservative cotton dress. Her black hair was pinned in a bun on her head, but her most interesting aspect was her bright blue eyes. She was carrying a few grocery bags. Kim turned back to Jack to ask if he knew who the woman was, but stopped short of asking her question when she saw that he had stiffened and gone completely still. Kim frowned. He clearly knew the woman.

Tripp started talking again, "Say, Mag. You'll never believe who showed—"

"Hey Margaret." Jack said suddenly, stepping away from the truck and stopping in front of the woman with a half-smile, half-grimace on his face.

Her eyes and mouth widened to unbelievable proportions, and she dropped her grocery bags on the ground. Her hand went to her mouth in shock.

"J-Jack…?" Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears, "Y-You actually came back?"

He nodded, and she walked closer, as if to hug him, but he stopped her. "Uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you. My friend and I kind of got skunked."

The woman named Margaret turned to Kim, and her eyes widened again, before her face settled into somewhat of a smile. Kim wondered what the look was for and returned the smile, although a bit in confusion.

"Well, then both of you please come with me to my home. I can help remedy that situation."

Jack looked nervous, but nodded anyway, following Margaret after she picked up her groceries and began to walk out away from Tripp's shop. Kim followed them at a slightly farther pace, frowning. Who was this woman? And why was Jack acting so oddly around her?

~.~.~

"Once you're done cleaning out your hair, there's some lavender shampoo and conditioner in the cabinet above the sink. Feel free to use as much as you want on that beautiful hair of yours." Margaret called through the door.

"I will, thank you!" Kim responded.

Kim scrubbed her hair even harder to make sure the stench would fully leave. Margaret was incredibly hospitable. As soon as they had entered her home, she had pushed them to showers in her house, forcing them to get clean. She had given Kim a large bottle that she called Skunk Remedy 2.0. Margaret had told Kim that her daughter used to always end up on the rear end of skunks and so she had created the perfect formula. It was apparently a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dishwashing detergent. Kim hadn't had high hopes for the mixture, but surprisingly, it had worked like a charm. She couldn't smell the skunk smell at all anymore.

Kim finished washing her hair and turned off the shower. She stepped out and toweled herself dry, looking at herself in the mirror. She looked back to her usual self, thank goodness. She slipped on the bathrobe hanging on the door and exited the bathroom, walking into the attached navy blue room.

She hadn't really had a chance to check out the room, because earlier, Margaret had all but ripped her clothes off and thrown her into the bathroom, but now that she wasn't rushed, she took some time to explore. It was a quaint room with only bed and a dresser. The furniture was dusty, as if it hadn't been used in forever. There was only a single picture on the vanity adjacent to the bathroom, so Kim approached it.

It was of a teenage girl with flowing black locks and bright light blue eyes similar to Margaret. In fact, the girl looked almost exactly like Margaret. She had corn from a cob stuck in her braces, but she looked like she didn't have a care in the world. There was a Band-Aid on the corner of her temple. She wasn't what someone would consider conventionally beautiful, but something about her smile and her wide, open, cheerful expression made her seem like the most gorgeous woman in the world.

"That's my daughter, Anna."

Kim spun around, startled that Margaret had snuck up on her so quietly. "I'm sorry. I was just—"

Margaret shook her head, smiling at Kim, "Don't be." She handed Kim a tank top and sweatpants. "I took it upon myself to wash that nice suit of yours. I hope you don't mind." She gave Kim back her underwear and bra. "And here's your undergarments. Already washed."

"No that's perfect. Thank you." Kim said as she slipped off the bathrobe and pulled on her bra and underwear.

"In the meantime, you can wear these. You look like you're around Anna's size, so I think these would fit you."

"With all due respect, I don't think it'd be right for me to wear your late daughter's clothes."

She waved Kim off, "Honey, don't worry. Anna was always lending strangers her clothes. She'd be more than happy for you to wear them."

"If it's okay with you…" Kim put on the tank top and sweatpants. It felt a little odd wearing the clothes.

"Can I ask you something?" Margaret tilted her head, regarding Kim with scrutinizing eyes, "How did you know Anna had passed?"

Kim blushed, "Uh… Jack told me. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." Maggie chuckled, after taking the bathrobe from Kim. "Anna would have liked you." She stated matter of factly.

Kim was surprised she had said something like that. "Why do you think that?"

"It's just a feeling I get. Call it mother's intuition if you want."

Kim looked back up at the picture. "She seems like a really beautiful person. I can understand why Jack fell in love with her..." She couldn't explain why, but after those words left her mouth, she couldn't help but feel a little sad.

Maggie smiled serenely at Kim, "Jack told you about their past too, huh?"

Kim nodded quietly, still looking at the picture. "Where is Jack?" she wondered aloud.

"Already finished his skunk bath. He went to visit Anna's grave." Maggie stood next to Kim, also staring at the picture, smiling fondly. "It's strange. For seven years, he never wanted to come back. It must have been you who changed his mind.

Kim nodded, not quite realizing what Margaret had just said.

_Changed his mind…?_

Kim blushed hotly, turning to Maggie, "Oh no. It was a mere coincidence that we just happened to get stuck here. I didn't do anything."

"It's not dear." Maggie sat down on the well-made bed and patted the spot next to her. Kim sat down. "Did Jack tell you what Anna's last words to him were? She told him not to come back to see her until he had found something or someone else to live for. Unfortunately, he seemed to take it to heart and left town for several years. I tried to convince him Anna didn't mean it that seriously, but he wouldn't listen. He wanted to honour her wishes to the very end." She smiled at Kim, "The fact that he's back means that he must have found that someone."

Kim frowned, "I only met Jack a few days ago. I doubt that someone is me."

Margaret nodded. "Perhaps. Perhaps not." The sound of a buzzer was heard in the background. "Ah. Those are your clothes. Hang on a second."

She left the room, and Kim sat there, confused. Why would Maggie think she was the reason why Jack came back? Margaret came back with the suit and pants, completely dry and smelling like freshly laundered clothing before Kim could really think about what she had told her.

"There's an ironing board in the closet right there. Feel free to use the makeup and other stuff in the bathroom if you'd like to freshen up."

"Thank you for your hospitality. Really. Thank you."

Margaret stood up and patted Kim's shoulder. "It's no problem. Anna told me she wanted me to help more people in life, and so I am, in my own little way."

She left Kim to get ready. Kim tried not to think about how odd she was feeling since she had spent time in this house. It was unnerving. She carefully ironed her suit and blouse before slipping it on. While she fixed her face and hair, she tried hard not to think about the implications of her conversation with Maggie. It didn't make any sense. Kim was certain Jack couldn't give two shits about her. They had just ended up in his hometown on pure accident. She looked up at her reflection. She looked great. Just like she did when she embarked on this trip with Jack. But for some reason, she felt somewhat ridiculous in the outfit.

When she was finished, she walked down the hallway toward the living room, but stopped shy of walking out when she heard Jack and Margaret talking inside. She didn't want to eavesdrop, but she couldn't pull herself away. She stood at the corner, her pulse racing.

"So you're finally ready, huh?" Margaret stated, sounding elated beyond belief.

"Yeah. Tell me what she wrote me."

There was the sound of paper being unfolded. "If you don't want to hear it, I can always just tell you some other time."

"It's been seven years Maggie. It's time for me to hear what she wrote in her will."

"Alright." The sound of a page being turned was heard. _"Dearest Jack, my gift to you is freedom. I release you from the binds of our relationship. Go off now and find your true soulmate. And when you find her, give her more love than you could ever have given me. I give you my permission. Because nothing would make me happier than to see you happy."_

Kim carefully peeked around the corner. Jack was sitting stiffly on the couch, not moving. Letting out a ragged breath, he stood up and left the house without a word. Kim's heart went out to him. It must have been terribly hard to hear those words. Maggie sighed and set the paper down on the table.

"Don't worry about him, Kim. He'll be fine."

Kim stepped out from around the corner, shocked that the woman had known that she had been there.

"You knew I was there?"

She chuckled, "Honey, I may be old, but even _my_ hearing is not that bad that I couldn't hear you breathing from all the way down the hall…"

Kim ducked her head, her cheeks tinged pink. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. Now, Jack told me that you had an appointment to get to. Shouldn't you be heading off now? He said he'd meet you at Tripp's."

Kim frowned. Oh yeah. Brody. She had completely forgotten about going to him. She nodded at Margaret.

"You're right. Thank you."

Maggie stood up and pulled Kim into a tight hug, to her surprise, "Come back again sometime." she said quietly, "I'm sure Anna would love to meet you."

After Maggie had let her go, Kim said her goodbyes and exited the house. She walked through the quiet town, smiling at patrons she passed on their way to their morning endeavors. If anyone was wondering why there was an unfamiliar blonde dressed in a pantsuit in ninety degree weather walking through their town, they didn't comment or show it. In fact, they all smiled kindly and returned her greetings. They were very friendly, and Kim found herself liking this place a lot more. She could get used to a town like this.

Seeing a baker's store and smelling fresh baked bread, she quickly stopped and ordered a croissant before heading back on her way to Tripp's mechanic shop. She might as well eat. Her nerves were shot, but she didn't want to face Brody on an empty stomach.

She had finished her croissant by the time she reached the shop. Jack was leaning against his truck with a far off look on his face.

She sidled up to him quietly, leaning against the truck next to him.

"Hey. You okay?" she said quietly.

He took a deep breath, "I'm getting there…"

Kim nodded and took his hand, squeezing it comfortingly, "You'll be fine. With time."

He glanced down at her and smiled, his hazel eyes capturing her gaze. She smiled back at him, trying to calm the thumping of her wild heart. Then, his phone alarm went off and he frowned as he checked the phone, dropping his gaze as if he suddenly realized something.

"Don't you have to get to Brody? We're only an hour away."

"Right…" she whispered.

She reluctantly let go of his hand and instantly missed the warmth. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and walked over to the driver's seat and started the car. She opened the door, but stopped short of hopping in.

"I'm going to get a water from the vending machine. Do you want one?"

"No."

She nodded and walked off toward Tripp's office. He wasn't in there, but she entered and bought a bottle from the vending machine in the corner. She started to leave with the water, but she was stopped by Tripp's voice.

"Yoohoo Kim. Wait up a second." She turned around and saw Tripp ambling over to her.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to hear something funny?"

"What is it?"

Tripp shook his head in amusement, chuckling quietly to himself, "Jack's car battery wasn't even dead at all. Actually, his car is in somewhat top shape."

It hadn't died? What did that mean? She frowned, confused, "Why would he lie to me about that?"

"Think about it." Tripp winked at her, "Take care of him, okay doll? And come back again soon."

He walked away before Kim could ask him any more questions. She turned around and stared back at Jack in confusion. The car had been fine…?

She walked back to the truck and hopped in the passenger seat, situating herself carefully towards the edge, so that she didn't get any mud on her clothes. She glanced at Jack, who was fiddling with his cell phone again. He noticed her stare and looked up at her questioningly.

"Ready to go?"

She nodded and he drove away, leaving the town and getting back on the main road. Kim mentally cringed. It was oddly uncomfortable and silent. It felt like all the progress they had made in two days was wiped away with the realization that she was going to be gone. Kim was trying to find some way to bring up what Tripp had told her, but she couldn't think of the words to say. She just honestly could not understand why he would purposely pretend his car was fucked up. Her shoulders slumped as her mind reeled, and she decided to give up. What would be the point of bringing up something like that now? In a few minutes, she would be with Brody, and Jack would be out of her life anyway.

She stayed quiet as they got off the freeway and entered Brody's city. She stayed quiet as Jack finally stopped in front of a large building, surrounded by blue glass. She stayed quiet even as he cut off his engine, and they hopped out the car. It was Jack who finally broke the silence.

"Well, here you are." He handed her the manila folder containing Brody's file.

"Thanks." She took it gingerly. It felt like it weighed a million pounds in her hand, even though it only contained a few sheets of paper. "Oh wait, I need to pay you the price for your service."

He shook his head, a small smile on his face, "Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure? We made a contract."

"Consider it null and void."

Kim should have been elated that she didn't have to pay him, but she couldn't help but feel a bit sad at his words. Because really, from the start, their contract had been the only thing binding them together. The reason for the trip, for everything really, was because of this contract. And now it was terminated. And that undoubtedly meant the end of their journey.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked.

He let out a deep sigh and shrugged, looking off into the distance past her head. "I guess I'll go home… Continue my life?"

"You mean that shady life where you stalk other people?"

He laughed lightly, "I _am _Shady Jack. And hey, that creepy life found your guy."

She nodded and smiled back, then took a step forward and before she could think better of it, stood up on her tiptoes in her heels and pressed a light kiss to his cheek. When she pulled back, his jaw was clenched, and he was staring at her intensely. Her heart stuttered in her chest, beating a mile per minute.

"Thank you for everything. I mean it." She gave him one more soft smile before backing away from him and turning around. "Goodbye Shady Jack."

She walked away from him and his busted up truck toward the business office, fighting wholeheartedly the urge to turn around and glance at him. Because for some reason, she knew that wasn't a good idea. Because if she did, she would want to run right back to him.

_Wait…_

She stopped just short of the lobby receptionist's desk, suddenly realizing what that meant. Her jaw slowly dropped. How on earth had she missed the obvious signs?! She snapped her mouth shut and strode to the receptionist's desk with purpose. She knew what she had to do.

The lady looked up, slightly bored. "Can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Brody Carlson."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but—"

"No appointment, no meeting him."

Kim paused. What _had_ she been thinking three days ago? Would she really have just shown up and expected to see him immediately? What a ridiculous plan. Now what would she do? She looked at the elevators. She could make a run for it and find Brody herself… But she honestly didn't want to get arrested.

She backed away from the desk and turned around in a daze, not realizing someone was behind her until she ran right into them.

"Excuse me. I didn't see… Kim?!"

She looked up in surprise, not expecting this in the least. "Oh, Brody."

He let out a small laugh and gave her a huge hug. Half stunned, Kim loosely reciprocated the hug, wondering why, all of sudden, he was being so affectionate. The woman standing next to him carrying a thick briefcase and file tapped her foot impatiently.

She glared at Kim in annoyance, "Who's she?"

Brody smiled broadly, "This is Kim Crawford. An ex of mine."

Kim looked at the woman, whose face had gone pinched when Brody had revealed her identity. Straight, perfectly pressed, untarnished plain gray business suit. Nails immaculately trimmed and done. Hair in a bun, not a strand out of place. Plain black heels. And somehow, Kim saw an image of herself five years ago forcing herself to change just to get Brody's attention. Hell, she saw an image of herself _now_. And she felt absolutely ridiculous.

Brody turned back to her. "Kim… Wow it's been so long. You look great! What are you doing here?"

Brody's smile was perfect. He was tall and good looking and perfectly coiffed. But for the first time ever, Kim didn't feel like she wanted him at all. He was literally the perfect person, but she just didn't want him.

"Brody… I—" she started.

He smiled charmingly, "Do you want to come upstairs to my office for some coffee? Catch up? I don't have any meetings for a good hour or so."

The woman next to him looked jealous and irritated in the background. Kim's eyebrows slightly rose. So it had worked. She had succeeded in capturing Brody's attention. He was obviously interested. She had won.

Kim took a deep breath, mentally prepping herself for what she was about to say.

"Brody, when you broke up with me years ago, I thought my life was over. I thought I would never find love again. I thought you were my soulmate. But now I've realized that I was looking at our relationship all wrong. What I fell in love with was only your image. I didn't even know you. Even now, I still don't know you. Because in reality, you're too shallow. Too shallow for me. Too shallow for any woman who wants you."

He looked shocked at her confession, and his eyebrows went up.

"When I first came here, my intention was to get you back. To show you that I was more than what I used to be. To show you that you were missing out on a life with me. That I didn't fail." She scoffed, "I deluded myself into believing that I could come here and see you and you'd automatically want me back. And that's when I realized that you'd never truly want me for me. I'm not a perfect, prim and proper girl. And I'm not graceful, and I don't like being submissive. I hate cooking, and I like giant burgers and hell, I _love_ burping. I love that about myself. But you never did because you want someone who is the opposite of me. And that's why I'm here to get proper closure. Thank you for our relationship. Even though it was an illusion and short lived, I _was_ happy. You're just not what I want anymore. Goodbye Brody."

He and a few other people in the lobby stared at her in shock as she grinned broadly and left. Pulling her hair out from her bun and letting it loose, she kicked off those putrid, ugly conservative heels, and threw Brody's file into the garbage bin at the front of the doors in the lobby.

When she finally got outside, she started to run, looking frantically for Jack. Surprisingly, his truck was still parked outside where it had been when she left. She ran up to the window and peered inside, but there was no one in the car. She sighed in annoyance. _Just_ when she had finally made up her mind, he just had to disappear. Where the heck had he gone?

"Kim?" Said Jack's confused voice. "What are you doing here?"

She spun around and saw him walking back to his car, a frown on his face.

"Jack!" She ran straight to him and flung her arms around his neck, forcing him to spin around to keep from losing his balance. "I am so happy you haven't left!"

He held onto her to keep them from falling on their asses, trying to slow their momentum. "Yeah. The old truck wouldn't start again so I had to find a phone to call Tripp since my phone battery died."

"Yeah right…" She mumbled into his shoulder and bit her lip, trying to keep her crazy happiness from bubbling to the surface.

He pushed her slightly away after setting her down, "Shouldn't you be serenading your soulmate right now?"

She let out a small breathless laugh, "I gave up."

"You told me failure was not an option, remember?" Jack said softly.

She grinned, "That's just it. I _didn't_ fail. Jack, I barely know you and you barely tolerate me and maybe this is a crazy idea but I _want_ to get to know you better. I think this whole time I've been living life looking for an ideal of a man. Someone like Brody. Because I was scared that without someone like that, that meant I failed. But the past few days have been wild and crazy, and I don't think I've ever felt more alive. I don't know exactly what I'm looking for. But at least, with you, I get the sense that I'll find out."

She took his face in her hands. "I know it will be hard. And I know I can't stand you half the time. And I know you've got huge demons in the past that haven't been totally resolved yet, but I _want_ to be there every step of the way when you confront them."

She continued breathlessly, "I _want_ to keep you on your toes. I _want_ to burn cookies in your kitchen. I _want_ to dance in my socks in your home. Because believe it or not, I think I fell for you, Shady Jack."

Smiling, he wrapped his arms tighter around her, pulling her closer to him, "Geez… you talk too much."

Kim leaned up, and their lips met in a sweet embrace. Butterflies exploded in Kim's stomach, and she smiled into the kiss. It was pure magic. It was perfect. And it felt right.

They pulled apart, their foreheads leaning against one another, and Jack chuckled quietly, "You know… my truck did start. I just didn't want to leave yet."

"I know, ya big goof."

She wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned down and kissed her again.

_Am I strong enough to see it through? _

_Go crazy is what I will do._

_If I can't have you_

_I don't want nobody baby_

_If I can't have you, uh-huh, oh_

_If I can't have you_

_I don't want nobody baby_

_If I can't have you, uh-ho_

* * *

**The moral of the story is that you can't change yourself for someone and expect them to love you back wholeheartedly. Because they will never love the true you. Find someone who sees you for who you are and accepts _all_ of you and when you do, hold on to them tight.  
**

**This is unapologetically saccharine, and I don't care haha**

**And that's the end of the story! Thank you for reading it and sticking with it to the end :) I hope you enjoyed.**


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